Want Storm Relief in Texas Town? Pledge Fealty to Israel

posted by Jenn Gidman -

Oct 20, 2017

Atweetfrom the ACLU Thursday noted an oddity taking place in the Lone Star State.

"The city of Dickinson, Texas is requiring people applying for Hurricane Harvey aid to promise not to boycott Israel," the tweet read, leaving manycommenterspuzzled as to how potential financial assistance for local storm victims could possibly be dependent on their political views about a country across the globe.

And sure enough, when one heads over to the Dickinsonwebsite, the applicationto receive a Harvey relief grant contains a section on the third page titled "Verification Not to Boycott Israel," spelling out that the applicant will "not boycott Israel," and won't do so at any time "during the term of this Agreement." The Washington Post andDallas News offer some context, with a Dickinson city lawyer pointing to a state law he says makes this language legally acceptable.